DECEMBER 9: The Giants have officially announced the signing.
DECEMBER 5, 2:20pm: Samardzija’s contract breakdown is provided by Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links). The righty will receive a $9MM salary in 2016 then $18MM in each of the next four years. Samardzija gets a $3MM bonus immediately and then another $6MM in signing bonus money will be spread out over the last four years in equal $1.5MM installments. The no-trade clause allows Samardzija to block deals to eight teams per year.
12:06pm: The Giants have agreed to sign right-hander Jeff Samardzija to a five-year deal, CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic reports (Twitter link). Samardzija will earn $90MM from the contract, according to Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown (via Twitter). The contract contains a limited no-trade clause (as per CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman) and is pending a physical.
With the Giants coming up short in the Zack Greinke sweepstakes, they pivoted towards another of the top remaining arms on the free agent market. The Giants were known to be looking for pitching help this winter and they were connected to Greinke, David Price, Johnny Cueto, Jordan Zimmermann and former Giant Mike Leake in various rumors throughout the offseason.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Giants add yet another top starter to the rotation, as was speculated in the wake of the Greinke signing. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports that the Giants are still interested in Leake and also like free agent Hisashi Iwakuma, so Samardzija could perhaps just be the first step in the team’s rotation upgrades.
In signing Samardzija, the Giants add a workhorse who has averaged 216 innings in each of the last three seasons. This type of durability is sorely needed for a San Francisco rotation that has a lot of question marks behind ace Madison Bumgarner. Jake Peavy was effective but limited by injuries in 2015, Matt Cain is coming off consecutive injury-shortened seasons and was very ineffective last year, and rookie Chris Heston is still something of an unknown quantity as he enters his sophomore year. Even more depth could be added if the Giants indeed do land another starter, as Heston could conceivably take over the swingman role left by the non-tendered Yusmeiro Petit.
Of course, Samardzija himself isn’t a complete sure thing given that he’s coming off easily the worst of his four full seasons as a starting pitcher. The righty posted a 4.96 ERA, 3.33 K/BB rate and 6.9 K/9 over 214 innings with the White Sox in 2015, allowing a league-high 29 homers and 118 earned runs. That K/9 total was Samardzija’s lowest since 2010 and his grounder rate also plummeted to 39% after sitting at a very solid 49.2% in 2013-14.
The Giants clearly have faith that Samardzija can rebound in 2016 and beyond, however, and that he’ll return to his impressive 2012-14 form. Samardzija turns 31 in January and has many fewer innings on his arm than most pitchers his age, thanks to extra years spent as a reliever and a relatively late start to his baseball career due to his stint as a star wide receiver for Notre Dame. “The Shark” will also now be working in one of the game’s most pitcher-friendly stadiums (AT&T Park) and will have the Giants’ excellent defense behind him. Samardzija’s 2015 numbers could be partially explained by the combination of the brutal White Sox defense, hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field and perhaps even just pitching in the American League, though the righty was excellent in his half-season with the A’s in 2014.
It may seem unusual that a pitcher coming off such a rough season would land a $90MM contract and yet MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes projected Samardzija for a five-year, $80MM deal (also correctly picking him to land with the Giants, to boot). That extra $10MM bump may well have come due to the speed in which free agent aces are flying off the board. With well-heeled teams like the Dodgers, Cardinals and Cubs still in need of pitching, it bodes well for Cueto, Leake, Wei-Yin Chen, Kenta Maeda and other remaining free agent starters that the supply of available arms is so quickly dwindling.
Since Samardzija rejected a qualifying offer from the White Sox, the Giants will have to give up their first-round draft pick (18th overall). Chicago receives a compensation pick between the first and second rounds.
Photo courtesy of Kelvin Kuo/USA Today Sports Images
Cool I’m so glad the Dodgers don’t get him. Go Angels
I’m a dodger fan and I’m happy the Dodgers didn’t get him. Giving up a draft pick for him isn’t worth it especially when he isn’t really all that great over. I’m happy that the Dodgers move up the draft order so thanks Giants
My thoughts exactly. If I were a Dodgers fan I’d love this. Shark is super overrated
So glad the cubs didn’t get him. I’ll take Addison Russell all day over shark. Cubs are now the clear cut winners in that trade. Shark is on his 3rd team in 3 years. I don’t doubt that he won’t finish that contract with san Fran.
Just before Shark was traded, he turned down 5 year, $85 million from the Cubs. So he basically got an extra year at $15 million from the Giants if you count his final arb year at $10 million.
Hammel would have gotten only McKinney from the A’s. Shark would have been the 3rd starter instead of Hammel. Castro and Baez would have been the DP combo.
Do the Cubs make the playoffs with Shark instead of Russell?
Maybe.
But I’d rather have Addie than Shark.
Thanks,Jeff, for being a good union man!
Yes Shark is over ratd. Maybe worth 5M a year for 2 years
If you honestly think the dodgers are going to keep their pick your sadly mistaken
Lol
I kind of think they will, unless Cueto and Leake both sign elsewhere and they feel the need to go after Chen.
Who knows? When your team has money, cost-controlled talent at multiple positions, a deep farm, and two supplemental picks (for Greinke and Kendrick), losing a late first round pick really isn’t a big deal.
If you really believe the Dodgers aren’t gonna sign away their pick your mistaken
You seem to think the dodgers are in desperate need to sign a starter. They are not. Kersh, Anderson, Ryu, Wood, Mccarthy, Bolsinger, plus a stable of young guns. Yet, there are plenty of decent pitchers including Cueto, Leake, Kazmir that the dodgers can sign and retain the pick. They will keep the pick
After Kershaw their rotation is full of question-marks. But in the end, that pick you seem to think is so valuable, really isn’t. How many #25 picks do you think ever make the majors? Anything out of the top 5 is normally a crap-shoot.
Trout comes to mind
ur counting on anderson, ryu and mccarthy to be healthy? gl with that
Not really. Cueto, Zobrist, Kazmir, Leake, Howie Kendrick, Fister, Maeda or any reliever isn’t going to require them to lose a pick, so its likely that they just keep the pick.
Same. I’m a die hard Cardinals fan and understand that we need pitching but Samardzija was someone I definitely did not want. Very pleased that he ended up in San Fran.
I think Chen and Kazmir are next on the pecking order, Cueto could be disappointed in his offers.
Cueto has nearly identical park adjusted career numbers as Greinke, and is three years younger. So, no.
Please elaborate. Cueto is younger, better, and healthier.
healthier? hes missed starts literally every year but one with arm soreness
You honestly think the Dodgers would have missed the #25 pick if they got Samardzija? lol. Not in the slightest. The Dodgers are in desperate need of pitching after Kershaw and a #25 pick is not remotely close to a guarantee to ever make it to the majors.
Many teams are taking a lesser talent with their first pick to save money from their pool, so they can sign better talent with the later picks. That makes for better talent late in the first round.
Complete and utter manure. Teams are not passing on talent just to save money. That’s the biggest load of crap I’ve heard anyone come up with to defend a team hanging on to a late round pick…
Each slot has a value already assigned to it. Taking a lesser talented player doesn’t make their bonus smaller anymore.
Having Jeff is better than not having him. Go Halos!
Anaheim needs a lot of help. Getting Simmons was good but they still don’t have anyone at 3b or 2nd. And pujols is 38. So they need someone like Chris davis for 1B when pujols is the dh
And the bidding war on cueto begins…
Bidding war between whom? The Dodgers are the only ones left without a pitcher that can afford him. Cueto and the Cardinals will never work because their fans hate him.
Cubs could still use a starter, Giants are said to be considering another one, Blue Jays come to mind, not to mention NY if Price means anything, Baltimore has the money in theory and Houston could use another SP. There are plenty of suitors to choose from on top of the Dodgers. Perfect fits? maybe not but name me 1 major signing that has gone to a predicted club this offseason besides Lackey
Well most people predicted Cueto to Boston, so he probably isn’t going where everyone thought either. Most of those teams you mentioned are not going to pay for Cueto. At the very least, they are not going to outbid the Dodgers.
You say that likes it’s a certainty. By my count, Colleti outbid everyone, Friedman has been outbid on Price and Greinke.
Friedman refuses to overpay for anyone seeing as he has a background in finance, he hasn’t been outbid let’s make that very clear here.
Arizona bizarrely outbid the Dodgers for Greinke so I’m not sure why you think some other random team isn’t going to be able to challenge them for Cueto.
I mainly heard predictions of Price to Boston. Haven’t heard anything about Cueto to Boston. Not saying no one predicted that, though.
There was a lot of Cueto-to-Boston talk, which is why I was extra relieved when the Sox signed Price instead.
If the Giants are still looking to add another free agent starting pitcher, I think that their signing of Shark more than likely drops them out of the Cueto sweepstakes and down to the next tier of free agent pitchers like Gallardo, Kazmir, Leake, etc…again that’s if they sign another starting pitcher…I could also see them turn their efforts towards Jason Heyward since they didn’t spend that money on Greinke
They wont get Heyward the Shark money still a lot, their not popping 200+ Million on Heyward. They will probably resign Mead if I was a guessing man. Meaning SF. I think the Cubs will try for Cuteo, but still banking on a Ross, or Miller Trade. I think the Cubs will push for that Center fielder. I think right now its either go after Heyward or try for Cuteo and get a lesser Center fielder in resigning Fowler, or go after Span. My thoughts.
Giants probably don’t go after Heyward…..partially because they already have a RF, and particularly because it’s too much money. But they can go after Gordon or Cespedes to play LF (110 – 130 million/year instead of 200+), and still have money to sign Leake or Kazmir.
And Red Sox fans were in love with David Price before he was signed. Fans opinion of a player has zero impact on whether the FO signs them.
If you think Cueto has a snowball’s chance in hell of playing in St. Louis as a Cardinal, you are delusional beyond repair.
He kicked a guy in the head with cleats and ended his career. He should have been kicked out of baseball for it, but instead he’s going to get 100 million dollars.
Fans have plenty of an impact, especially when that person literally ended the career of a player on the team.
ordinarily i’d agree with you but the way cards fans talk about cueto is pretty next level. i’m a sox fan and i didn’t even remember we were supposed to be mad at price because of a beanball war, that stuff happens all the time. the BFIB appear to consider cueto on par with murderers and terrorists
i actually don’t doubt that a large percentage of them would get past it pretty quickly if he were actually signed, which i’d enjoy watching, so here’s hoping it happens
Cueto shouldn’t be in baseball, and since he is he should be sending Jason LaRue a percentage of his income for the rest of his career.
Your dead wrong..The Cubs still have their wad, the Yankees have been very very quiet. The Angels have money, and the Nations could easy drop some cash, not to mention Don’t count the Rangers out. Also who knows who is sleeping. Everyone thought LA and SF would battle it out and what happened. Don’t be surprised if the Yankees, Angels, or Cubs come hard…LA better be prepared this time.
The Cubs seem set in the rotation, though. They have their “Big 3” plus Hendricks and Hammel.
The Giants have dropped almost $80M from last year’s payroll, and only added Samardzija (plus the Crawford extension). They could add another big-deal SP and one of the better OFs, take care of their pre-FA players and still have room.
Why would a pitcher/player want to sign in CA. High state taxes, and half of the money goes to Uncle Sam. Any reason why a player would sign (not traded) with a CA team would be out of loyalty to the team, e.g., Kershaw
Gee I don’t know? Because not all ballplayers think like you? They’re not concerned with tax rate when they’re making hand over fist in stupid money. They play where theyre comfortable. Because whether you believe it or not, not all players like to be booed just so they can save themselves a few % in taxes
Furthermore, all the California parks are pitcher’s parks except arguably Anaheim. The weather tends to be great most of the year (can’t say that about Boston or NY). And except for Oakland, they’ve all shown a willingness to put out more money.
Better chances for Advertising revenue when located in CA, or NY. Nicer weather year round. Big market teams that can afford to pay top Dollar. How many reasons would you like?
Hate to break it to you but the only disadvantage of CA is the higher state tax. The federal income tax is the same countrywide. So all these pro athletes are generally in the 40% tax bracket meaning pretty much every player all the way down to the league minimum pays about 35-40% in taxes. Pretty much fed. income tax doesn’t go beyond 40%….. still only getting to take home 60% has to suck, and that’s before the state dips their fingers in your money. Still though, these guys like Greinke and Price will be depositing roughly 1.5 MILLION dollar checks every 2 weeks over the course of a 26 week season. Almost makes you puke a little in your mouth that that’s 1 paycheck for them after taxes. League minimum guys (About $510,000) aren’t exactly roughing it either. Every two weeks they get to put about $21,500 in the bank after taxes…… insane. 13 paychecks of over 20k…… I’d be beyond thrilled and wouldn’t know what to do.
But even with higher state taxes, why California???? Why not ask the other 38 MILLION people who live there. 1) it’s friggin california. 2) BEAUTIFUL weather all year round with humidity being pretty much non-existent. 3) sunshine almost everyday. 3) drop dead gorgeous women EVERYWHERE. 4) beaches. 5) skiing mid-up state. 6) Disneyland baby. 7) big budget teams > generally good chance at winning…. possible championships…… just ask San Fran. 8) did I mention the PERFECT weather? I don’t know about you but I’d rather be playing April games in 75 degree weather in Cali than here in Chicago where it could still be friggin snowing still or worse yet raining at 30-40 degrees, or October games in 40-50 degree windy weather. I can speak from experience when i played high school ball in the Chicago burbs in late march and april….. hitting a ball when it is freezing and snowing outside is painful on the hands. If you don’t have to deal with that I’d take the opportunity….. but then again if I was good enough to play professionally I don’t know how players push aside their childhood fandom and take the money over possibly playing for your favorite team. If I were as good as Giancarlo Stanton I’d take way less money if it meant I could play for the Cubs. Yes, the 107 year drought Cubs. Just been cursed with being a fan since pretty much birth. As young as 4 years old I don’t remember liking another team. I don’t know how players hold out in free agency for more money. Like Ben Zobrist. He’s from the Peoria area which is about 2.5 hours southwest of Chicago. If I were him and I was a free agent, and like him had already made over $30 million in my career, whatever offer the Cubs gave me I’d take in a heartbeat. How much money does 1 person need? After taxes Zobrist has taken home about $17M over his career. He’s been playing for 10 years and let’s say he’s semi-responsible and spent “only” $200,000 a year. That means he should have like $15 million in his bank account. If that was all in your run of the mill savings account, off interest alone the account would be making…. about .04% annually (which is beyond pathetic but a savings account is the easiest way to invest your money, if you want to call it that, because you don’t do anything) which means his money just sitting in a lame savings account makes him about $60,000 a year. That’s more than what a lot of people make in a a whole year and that’s what his money is making just sitting in a savings account. So yeah, even at “only” $15M in the bank he is set for life if he doesn’t live like a snob. Just live off the interest alone and you have $15M to pass down from generation to generation.
How about the Angels, Nats, or Marlins. O’s need to replace Chen too!
I really dont understand why any team is willing to commit long term to a guy who has had one good year
He’s had 4 good years, but 6 years he hasn’t been great.
He’s only been a starter for four seasons. Two of those seasons (2013, 2015) were indisputably BAD, and this season in particular was abysmal. His FIP even took a huge hit this year. 2012 was “solid”, not great. Only 2014 was he really an “ace” pitcher. He was fantastic in 2011 as a setup guy, but that’s not really relevant to this discussion.
He was horrible with the Sox because homer, Don Cooper messed with Samardzija’s pitches. Samardzija normally threw a ton of 4 seam fastballs with the Cubs. Don Cooper wanted him to throw more cut fastballs. As a result a lot of them were left up in the zone and taken for a ride. If he goes back to his old ways he could be a solid starter again.
It’s the Giants we’re talking about. Every free agent pick up is a question
Its his stuff. His stuff has ace-type potential, its just that hes never reached that.
He’s 30yrs old potential is no longer in the discussion here
Are you actually trying to argue that no pitchers have ever gotten better after age 30? Because you’d be dead wrong.
Odds are that at 30, you are what you are. He may get better, but you don’t PAY 30 year olds for potential. Could David Price get better? Sure, but he’s getting paid enough without considering potential. RA Dickey is the exception, not the rule.
No I’m trying to arguing that not many pitchers turn into Aces after 30 just doesn’t happen
He’s only been a starter for 5 seasons. He’s still learning and can get better. The Giants obviously feel his best seasons are in front of him and with one of the best pitching coaches in the game to work with him… Why not?
Umm I wonder for how much. I thought they were going to sign Cueto.
90.
Im guessing its a 100 Million (like he said he got).. but the article will be updated to 10 years.
Next up 6/160 for Cueto.
Mo.. Cardinals are now down to Wei-Yin Chen.. Don’t let him get away. Chen, Alex Gordon, and Ryan Madson. GO!
Now is the time to see if those rumors of $100 million were real. I’ll guess just shy of Zimmerman at 5/105 because of the Greinke miss
Edit: Well I was a little off. Guess that report was a bluff
Cueto to Dodgers in 3… 2…
Cueto to Dodgers!!!
So do the white Sox get the 19th pick?
No, they get a comp round pick
No, the Giants lose the pick, everyone else moves up one pick, and the White Sox get a pick at the end of the 1st.
No, the White Sox get a comp pick between rounds 1 and 2.
Yep
read the giants lose their pick to the white sox. Giants will have no first round pick this year.
They do lose their pick, but the ChiSox don’t get that exact spot in the draft. They get a supplementary pick between the first and second rounds.
And yes, the Giants won’t have a 1st round pick
technically the comp round is a continuation of the first round F.Y.I
Thank God he’s off the market. I was worried the Yanks would do something stupid, like sign him.
Ok, now I’m mad. Losing to the D-Backs on Greinke only to get a guy who literally led the league in runs allowed last season.
#RIPGiants2016
Which I think had more to do with BBIAP and that lackluster White Sox defense. At the very least with the Giants defense he could see his ERA go down half a run.
Did BBIAP make him give up 29HR last year? (tied for 6th in the majors). He had the 3rd worst ERA in the majors (of qualified starters). I know bad fielding can have some impact on ERA…but 3rd worst is not a $18m/yr player.
I do agree that his ERA should go down at least half a run…to 4.00-4.50.
Good, glad it wasn’t the Dodgers, he anit much
5/90 seems like a good deal. Nice job Giants.
It’s actually a co-sign with the 49ers, he will suit up immediately on Sunday. Even though he hasn’t played in years, he’s definitely better at football than anyone on that team.
I wouldn’t be surprised…
90 Million over 5 years? WOW.. Barry Zito 2.0 signing right here
Not even close. Zito got two more years and 36 more million. Same AAV for a guy who had one bad season? Not even close to Zito.
Maybe not as bad but pretty close
Ha ha.. you’re just upset with the signing.. Its as bad as Zitos
It’s literally nothing like Zito. Back then, Zito’s contract was worth WAY more than it would be today. Not only that, it was also way more obvious that Zito was going to seriously decline (ownership wanted him) whereas the Shark still has potential “stuff” (which is why he’s overrated). I’d prefer someone else but this deal is nothing like Zito’s
It’s similar in that both pitchers pitched for the A’s before the Giants signed them long-term.
It’s similar in that they’re both adult males
Haha I was just gonna say that
No, Zito actually could win games. For those who feel that Wins is a stat that should not be considered when judging pitchers, welcome to Jeff S. He is a case study in having good stuff but not having that “edge” that allows him to outpitch the other guy.
It’s so crazy that one season basically took him from being a potential $150-200M guy to 90. If he repeats his 2014, he’s considered elite. Now? He’s paid like a normal everyday veteran guy.
He will be fine pitching in San Fran and back in the NL. Contract will probably look pretty good in a year or two.
This doesn’t really improve the Giants. This still have a ton of holes and question marks.
Johnny Cueto’s price has sky rocketed this week.
They also had tons of holes and question marks every year they won the title though.
What holes did they have in 2014? They had that great pen, 5 good starters, and a lineup that was filled with notable names, except Panik.
Are you serious? We were starting a veteran 1st baseman in LF, a back up OF who’s stated that starting gets into his head in CF, and 5 good starters? We won because we literally only had one great starter. Hudson fell off hard in the 2nd half and would you trust your other two WS games to Vogelsong and Peavy?
Not only that but before we dropped Aoki, we had one of the easiest off season fixes. All we needed was two starters, a LF, and a back up CF for Pagan, so basically the same holes in 2014.
Second base was a gaping wound until Joe Panik stuck. They even gave ABs to Dan Uggla, for goodness sake.
Absolutely no one picked the Giants to win the title in any of their title years. They came out of nowhere in 2014.
With those 90 millions and 30 millions more they should had sign Yoenis Cespedes to play left field and then bring back Mike Leake instead of Samardija.Maybe he can pitch well in San Francisco.
Leaks will likely cost as much as the Shark, if not he’d be $80mil and we still don’t the OF market so we can’t really say how much would get him considering there’d be more competition
My God just think of all the “Shark” merchandise they’re gonna sell!
Just sew a dorsal fin on top of all those surplus Panda hats.
I give SF credit. Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, and licking their wounds losing Greinke to Arizona, they picked themselves up got right back on the horse and said lets get working on on plan B and get the shark. Live for today not yesterday. Good for them. Mean while the LA Dodgers are still trying to figure out what happened. IF LA don’t sign Cuteo, they will be the biggest losers in the Winter. Problem with LA is they focused all their attention on Grez, thinking they get him, while everyone else just signed away at different teams. No Cuteo there will be no post season for LA BANK IT! To add Price did a fly by over LA while they concentrated on Greinke. Now they have nothing so far. Better get moving LA, time and players are running out.
The “winner” of the offseason hardly ever translates to being WS winners. Heck, they mostly end up doing bad the first season (I’m looking at you, Padres). If you really think the Dodgers aren’t going to make some moves, then you’re sorely mistaken.
Where do you get your misinformation? The Dodgers did not focus all their attention on Greinke, nor are they trying to figure out what happened. They know what happened. Arizona just strapped a two-ton albatross around their neck.
Go ahead and settle down their my friend. It’s only December teams are far from complete, FA isn’t the end all be all of the off season. Dodgers can still make a trade or two they’ll be fine. Giants should worry about coming in 2nd place in the NL West Diamondbacks are gunning for that crown
AZ should make it a fun year in the West. I hope they all beat up on each other throughout the year, so everyone is worn out for the playoffs. -the rest of the NL
As much as I like insulting the Dodgers and putting the Giants on a pedestal, it’s still literally been less than 24 hours since Greinke signed.
I guess Jeff decided to pass on that $100 million offer that his agent said was on the table? That was per Jayson Stark this week.
Wouldn’t be the first time a player rejected more money to go to a place he wanted to go.
wouldn’t be the first time an agent made up an offer either
Exactly
Let me get this straight. The white sox actually offered this piece of garbage a qualifying offer, now the Giants are going overpay for him, and give up a draft pick?!?!?!?!?!? smh
They’ll sell 90 million worth of shark hats over the next 5 years so he’s basically pitching for free… lol
The White Sox garbage coaching staff and defense made a good pitcher look very bad in 2015.
I just have to shake my head to think. What did they see, that I didn’t? Well good luck Giants on that signing!
I heard Jeff gave them a 10 million discount cause nobody else bided that high.
I am not the biggest fan of the Shark, and I also believe that he is overrated. But I prefer this deal over Greinke’s. With $50m available. We really need 3 guys, 2 SPs and a LF. Giving up $34m for around 18 wins and let’s say 5 QSs was stupid. However investing $38m-$40m for 34 wins and 10 QSs sounds better. Regardless of which free agent was picked up we would have lost the draft pick anyway, so no need to cry about that we have a decent enough farm system. Yes it isn’t the best in the MLB according to JMayo but it’s certainibg isn’t bad, with so many current stars home grown through the Farm. The only problem with my above theory is to secure a No.2 starter (Cueto for $22m) since I believe that Shark is SFs No.3.
Giants need to go get Cespedes right now…….!!!!
Cespedes is too streaky. Prefer Zobrist.
Zobrist is in his late 30’s. Perfect Justin Upton
So Shark gets roughly 5 MM more, same years, as Cubs offered a year and a half ago.
Back then, he thought he had a chance at a big contract, which he would have got if he didn’t stink in 2015.
I don’t get this “Workhorse” BS. Yes, he’s pitched a lot of innings. But a ERA of 5 over that time. You can find a couple AAAA guys to replicate that..
All the pitchers are coming off the board before the winter meetings. Teams seem to understand the importance of pitching in todays game. Dodgers move next to get one. Top teams want to go into the meetings without having to make any major moves. They seem to be willing to exhaust the trade market for position players before making a move on the free agents. Some of the free agents left could be disappointed in what’s offered them.
For a guy like him and his track record that a fair deal. So it pretty much leaves cueto to the Dodgers unless a unknown team gets him
Unfamilar with any ML team that qualifies as an “unknown”. Maybe if a Korean team signs him… fairs, fair after all.
Why are Dodgers fans mad all of a sudden. They Obs did focus all of their attention on Grez. Price did a fly by while they had all their attention on Greinke. Just admit it. All the decent pitchers are now gone. So you lose that beautiful ERA, and 19 game winner, and replace him with who? Sheby Miller, and that trade isn’t going to happen. What moves can the Dodgers make? They are 40% over the Lux tax, they have a pay role that they are still responsible for and players gone that they are still paying for because the front office doesn’t know S#@T. No one wants your old hand me downs anyway, so the odds of trading for anyone good are nill except some scrubs or minor bull crap. Get with reality. If the Dodgers don’t sign Cuteo you really think your making the play offs. You know thats your only hope left. Care to lay money on that? Be for real man. Your out of options, don’t tell me the front office isn’t starting to panic. They have to deal with the Giants who just added a good pitcher and will probably add another. The Snakes who took their golden boy, and then deal with the other in the Central Like St.L the Cubs, Pitt. Not to mention Washington not going to have as bad a year as last year fluke, and New York will be there because of young pitching. Not everyone going to make the play offs, I don’t see LA in the pitcher, come to reality Dodger fans. You know it. Only thing the Dodgers management going to do during the Winter meetings is hang out at Tooties in Nashville and listen to George Straight LMAO..Don’t get Mad Bro.
All the decent what about cueto kc days aside he was a solid pitcher
Cueto is only one left, and now teams will pay his price cause the everyone who is anyone is gone. Dodgers miss that ship, they can take their family’s to Disneyland on their welfare check lol.
Oh well they could get cueto and be fine since they do have a very good pitching coach
They have Kershaw, so they don’t have to have Cueto. If they have five reliable starters, they will be there. That’s true of almost every team.
“All the decent pitchers are gone now”
Thats the beauty of this season’s FA class. That just isn’t true.
You still have Cueto, Maeda, Kazmir, Leake, Gallardo, Chen and Chris Young, plus buy-low guys like Fister and Alvarez
They also have the prospects to trade for literally anyone in the game if they really wanted to. And you seem to think are in desperate need of a pitcher. Kersh, Anderson, Ryu, Wood, Mccarthy, Bolsinger, and plenty of young guns. They are still a better team then the giants or diamondbacks right now and they have plenty of moves still to make.
Love ryu but he a question mark and McCarthy gone till mid season
you didn’t even mention iwakuma, who’s my personal favorite at the moment
I doubt you know anything about baseball
Uncommon name. Common game.
Good riddance. Thanks for contributing to a disappointing season with your terrible walk year that still got you paid anyway.
Atleast you get a draft pick for him.
And lost Semien, Bassit, Phegley & Ravelo for him. lol what a bad trade.
Hey Giants, better hope Shark likes your pitching coach or expect another lackluster effort from this guy. He also falls to pieces when things do not go his way. Well overpaid I think and glad the Sox at least got a pick for him. All this money floating around for guys that have performed poorly in the playoffs, namely Price and Cueto (yknow when you NEED them to perform well). Could Samardzija do well in SF? Maybe but the past seems to show otherwise.
Like dominos, one after another. Nothing like hot stove
Unless KC open up the wallet I don’t really see any other team who will sign cueto besides the Dodgers. Since I hear cards won’t touch him
Hmm, Texas, Houston, Baltimore, Seattle, Washington… have all lost at least one starter to FA, and need to find a replacement. They all also like to think of themselves as contenders. Cueto could end up with any of them. Dodgers will not be lacking for competition.
Dodger fans are now praying. I’ll be back when the Dodgers make the headline board in a move. There is still plenty left your right. Wake me up on the next big signing lol.
Oh I forgot they did get a manager hey that is a start. LMAO
Lol oh man oh man!! Not fair everyone else gets to go first!!! Who cares about being deliberate and letting the market come to them?? WAAAAAH!
Good move Giants; Beckham and Samardzija is a nasty 1-2 WR combo!
So we’re looking at Bumgarner/Shark/Cain/Heston/Peavy.
Not bad, but doubt it’ll give them the easy title of the last few even-seasons.
Shark stunk last year, Cain hasn’t been healthy in 2 years and Heston fell off a cliff in the second half last year. Its going to be interesting for the Giants.
Cliff Lee seems to fit what they need and the Giants would seem to fit what he needs, could see them adding him and going to a soft 6 man rotation when Peavy/Lee/Cain need to skip a start.
lol. Lee is the opposite of what the Giants need. If you have a solid 5 starters and a few spot-start guys in the mix, that is where Lee could be useful. If he needs to be an important part of your rotation, that is asking for disaster.
I hope he comes back, but you can’t rely on a guy who hasn’t pitched in nearly 2yrs to be able to go out every 5th day and pitch.
Any fun left for the winter meetings
Trades!
Bats…….Loads of Big Bats!!!
Terrible contract. Meanwhile, the Braves are licking their chops for not if, but when someone will overpay for Miller/Teheran.
Word is the Giants are also looking to add a big bat. Maybe trade for Ryan Braun and slot him in LF?
Opening day is in Milwaukee… I’m sure both parties would love that deal 🙂
I see it as less than a 1% chance, but it’s fun to dream.
Samardzija allowed the most runs, hits, and HR in the AL last season, and gets an avg $18 million over 5. Makes sense.
had a WAR of 2.7 tho because of bad BABIP luck and the sox awful defense hurting his ERA. 3 WAR guys go for $18-$20m AAV these days.
I’d gamble on the upside of Maeda over the certainty of Leake for the Dodgers. His delivery looks exactly like that of Hideo Nomo, FWIW.
He might even come cheap. Even if he not a solid number 2. I’ll be happy if he a good 3rd pitcher. Him and ryu behind kershaw actually not that bad
1. Bumgarner
2. ?
3. Peavy
4. Samardzija
5. Heston
You guys still need an ace to pair with Bumgarner. Samardzija isn’t an ace.
And I guess that $100m offer was indeed fake, as it’s been documented that Samardzija would sign with whoever offered the most money.
Despite his struggles as of late, it’s unlikely Matt Cain is removed from the rotation to start the season.
If he’s healthy switch Heston out for Cain
How many teams have two aces? Maybe a handful
I find this deal to be very reasonable as a Padre fan for the Giants. He does have a history as a starter of having a worse ERA than FIP other than 2014 so it’s possible he is inverse Matt Cain and gives up a bit too much hard contact, but he has also played behind some awful defenses.
The question is what happened to his strikeout rate last year? His velocity was like the same, it looks like based on fangraphs pitcher values his slider really lost effectiveness. I still think at 90/5 in the market we are in right now he is a good gamble to take and with SF’s great shifting and maybe being more flyball prone now he is a good fit in that ballpark. He’s not a front of rotation guy, but I think he can be a 3.
30 mil overpaid at the very least.
Cautiously optimistic. I would’ve rather had Cueto or Chen (and maybe they’ll sign one of them too, who knows?) but this isn’t bad.
The simpleton in me really wishes contracts just had to be a straight up even amount spread equally over the years. No bonus’s, no some money is part of a bonus some money is salary, no back loaded deals, no front loaded deals. Just a straight equal amount over the length of the deal. Sorry I like it simple sometimes, and this just comes across as a bit more convoluted than it should be.
Good pickup for the Giants. A bit of an over-pay but after what Price and Greinke got, I guess it’s expected. Now if they can pick Leake back up, they will have a solid rotation going into this next season.
Wow, essentially $19.5M for Samardzija from 2017 onward….. yikes. I’m liking the Cubs deal for Lackey more and more by the hour. First Price, then Greinke, now this… my oh my. Zimmermann and Lackey are looking to possibly be the biggest steals this offseason. This deal only ups Leake’s value. I won’t be shocked when a 5 year $100-105M deal is announced for Leake now…. just shy of way better pitcher, Zimmermann’s deal.
Shark was great for the cubs 1/2 of a year and decent for 1 year and stunk for 2 years. Good for him waiting until a team like the giants were desperate to make a splash and cashing in. 18 mil per for 5 years is a overpay for him by about 6 mil per year. I would have liked to see him come back at no more than 5 years and 75 mil. 15 mil per is still a overpay just not as big as what he held out for and ultimately got. He deserved no more that 12 mil per year max but alas pitching is on the extreme rise this past week. And whoever signs even a mid tier pitcher will surely overpay because of the precedents of greinke price and even shark. But whats good for us cubs fans is the lackey deal sounds even more team friendly a day after the story breaking.
The Zimmermann signing continues to look better and better (on paper) for Detroit. small difference in contract with Sam’s, but huge difference in return. Way to beat the market, Avila!
Completely agree. His stuff was there last year, but Zimmermann’s results were pedestrian. That happens. Does not mean he will fall off a cliff. Fully expect a solid bounce back to becoming one of the top 25 starting pitchers in baseball. Perfect for a #2.
I’m not a big ZImmerman fan, but I like him *far* better than Samardzija, Zim has shown #1/top-end #2 potential (albeit w. some down spots)…while Samardzija has been riding potential for most of his career. Nice job by DET.
I am of the opinion that this is a solid signing for the Giants. Basically you are trading Tim Hudson’s salary for Samardzija. In fact a slightly lesser monetary impact.
One should account for the difference in leagues, (DH) the difference in defenses (Giants are stellar), and the difference in ballparks (Giants one of the most pitchers friendly). Samardzija will post an ERA at or below 3.50 next year. Plus his innings eating will be welcome to the bullpen.
I do not think the Giants are through here. Leake and Cueto are both still out there. I would love to see Leake return for a full season with the Giants.
90mm for a 5 era this is a frikin joke
And so, the Even Year magic will embody Sharks’ soul and transform him into a good pitcher again as the Giants make another World Series run…